Ma, Pa look at that brave man. He attacks and gets away. Only 40 criminal cases against him. So cool. So successful. He waves at crowds ma. He has followers pa. I want to be like him. Even the cops don’t touch him. Why are you not like him Pa. So brave. So rough and tough. I will become like him.

Things people do to stop pub / western / new culture. Gehlot, Yedyurappa and Muthalik all are custodians now. We have parents, teachers, principals, police and the State…all telling us what is right. UNILATERALLY.

If I don’t listen, then I should be prepared to be.

a) attacked

b) be molested

c) or be bannned

Meanwhile Shiv Sena, MNS, Bajraj Dal belive that what is life without a bit of destruction of public and private property.

Have a problem. Have to protest. Want a solution.Then…

Break. Attack. Destroy. Set Fire.

Collateral damage. Who cares? Must have slipped on a banana peel, the idiot.

We have absolutely the best teachers & role models for the children of India.

Kasab (Kasav) is Pakistani. In a roundabout manner the Pakistani government has accepted that the lone captured gunman of the 26th nov atttack on Mumbai/Bombay is indeed from their territory. After more than a month of denial and abrasive posturing the Pakistani government has found its 1st scapegoat. NSA chief Mahmud Ali Durrani has been sacked for making statements about Ajmal Kasav without the consultation of Prime Minister Gilani.

Where will this lead? Does this mean th first signs of good intent from our neighbour? Or will it lead to more obfuscation? Only time will tell.

Will this acceptance lead to a momentous attitudinal shift in echelons of power in Pakistan? Will the weak government suddenly gain the balls to take on the well entrenched nexus between the rogue military, intelligence agencies and the militants? Will the civil society rally behind the government or is hatred of India too rooted and entrenched to even make them realize that opposing and uprooting terrorism is as much of a benefit to them as it to India and the region?

Before I run away astride my horse of romantic idealism lets touch base with reality – it is going to be a long and hard battle to reach thresholds of sanity. Probably a decade to undo the institutionalized terror networks; to weed out the silent sympathizers and to given birth to new relationships.

Many wishes on Bakri Eid. On this auspicious day I would
like to get in touch with as many of my neighbour’s as possible, considering
that we don’t treat each other with a shred of respect or trust. That is an
over-statement. We do exchange liberals, pleasantries, sweets and cricket
for sure.

We also exchange a whole lot of artillery, bombs and hate.
Courtesy our history. Why to blame history? Why blame 1947 all the time. I have
stopped. How many generations have to die to forget the wounds of that horrible
partition? Nobody has any answers to that?

A little about India. Probably you know a lot
already, but here is a bit more.

We are all angry zealots here.

We have camps here where Hindu’s practice bombing Pakistnai
towns and cities.

The ambition of all rich and poor youngsters who practice in
these camps (yes wonder of wonders rich and poor together – the benefits of a
common enemy you see) here is to spread the saffron flag in all regions of the
world and popularize Hindu Gods all over this glorious earth

India
in fact is not a multi-religious country at all. The Indian STATE regularly
torments people of all other religions

Everyday numerous legions of people who profess a religion
other than Hindusim are slaughtered – the recent attack on churches in fact was
an aberration – what actually happened was – the Christians briefly gained guts
and started attacking the vandals – briefly – that’s the real story

The Indian Media is quite pathetic. It is controlled by a nexus of State/Capitalists/Hindus/Liberals – quite bizarre actually. Orwell himself approves of this combination

We are the most honest lot in the world. Period.

It is a corruption free country. Please check it out for
yourself.

Cricket is actually not that popular in the country. Nor is
Bollywood. All that is hype and projection.

There is peace everywhere in our land. No violence.
Absolutely.

The riots that happen in India are not because of social
tensions and exploitation by various power groups. It is because of deep,
extreme boredom amongst communities who then just do it…following the
empowering American mantra

Babri Masjid was actually not demolished by zealot Hindus.
It was the handiwork of non-state actors from…let me get back to you on this.

Dawood Ibrahim regularly plays cricket in front on his house
in central Mumbai. With the cops in fact.

I won’t go any further because I don’t think you will trust
me. But I am sure you will have your own sources to figure out what is true and
what is false. You will get all the ‘evidence’ needed to satiate your
inquisitive brain. Actually for you all of this is a no-brainer. Isn’t it?

Finally, Mr. Shivraj Patil has put in his papers. Or, as the gossip goes, he was asked by the party president Mrs. Gandhi to. It’s a sad state of affairs that even for relinquishing that thankless post that the entire nation now equates with inefficiency he couldn’t follow his conscience, but had to be asked. Will efficiency henceforth be the criteria for appointments or loyalty, your guess is as good as mine.

Pakistan next. India is on the verge of suspending the ceasefire on it western and northern borders. India should also suspend all trade, bus and air routes to this nation that is absolutely shameless. No wonder its people suffer from the rulers that they get. No cricket. No exchange during Id or Diwali. We are your enemies. You see us as enemies and so shall we. Tough international sanctions must be imposed on this wolf in a sheeps clothing, crying hoarse that they are victims of terror. Manmohan Singh believed this spiel. So did Advani and Atal and were back stabbed by Kargil. Still we believe the the janus in nexus – the administration and the military.

There is a time for peace and unfortunately a time for more stringent measures if not war. A lot depends on how the politicians and political parties. RR Patil must be prosecuted for his statements. How insensitive and callous can the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra get? He is congratulating himself and government for saving the lives of roughly 4650 people as according to his estimates 5000 dead was the target of the terrorists.

Will Vilasrao still continue to be the chief minister to keep other regional satraps out of power. Or will a person with a vision for the state, its people and one who understands the extra-ordinary role that Mumbai plays be allowed to ascend the chair.

I am sure other than some cosmetic measures nothing much will change. The current rage should not dissipate. I went to a citizines initiative in the morning today where people couldn’t come to a conclusion as to the route to be adopted. There are ANGER marches being planned against the government, both at the center and the state. Most are frustrated with the apathy all around. Will peaceful pressure by numbers of Indian citizens have an impact on the politicians?

Mumbai is still under siege. Now more than 50 hours after an unspecified number of terrorists attacked the iconic Taj Mahal hotel – frequented by the rich; Café Leopold, a favourite of the backpacking foreign tourist; CST or VT, the main railway terminal of the city and the lifeline of the thriving business and commercial capital of the city.

As expected, there has been outrage from all quarters. The government is shocked and so is the Mumbaikar. I will not mention the spirit of Mumbai because it is just a media creation. I didn’t feel like working and probably would need a therapist in some time – a victim of terror – gluttony. People are not even feigning normalcy. There is fatigue – with the government and with the world in general.

For not taking the threat of terror seriously. 2 Prime Ministers of the country from the same family have been assassinated; half of the country suffers from some sort of insurgency or unrest; we have wonderful neighbours in the form of Pakistan, Nepal and Bangla Desh and yet…

Inefficient Response Units – although the police force laid down its life fighting the terrorists, it is safe to argue that the Indian police is under-armed, under-trained, unfit and de-motivated to take on such an attack as took place. Efficiency is different from bravado and emotion doesn’t win you a battle.

Good Neighbourly Relations – I don’t want good neighbourly relations with Pakistan or any other state that uses violence as an instrument of state policy against my country and people. We will suffer economically…well, so will they. We will suffer culturally? I don’t care and if we did deeper I don’t think that will be the case. There will be no cricket? So be it. How does cricket make any difference? There are other countries that we can play against; create new healthy rivalries and celebrate our defeats and victories.

Politicians.

People. People who crowd a high – security zone where commandos are trying to flush out motivated terrorists. Bizarre.

Media. Plays an important role and played one in this case also. But the constant emphasis on human interest stories by Barkha Dutt revealed a perverse desire to milk the personal tragedy of people. Not done, especially when done ad nauseum. Plus the marginalization of common ordinary middle class folk of the city. All the shows were populated by the rich of South Mumbai. What was the man on the street thinking? Any idea?

Javed Jaffry – I have always liked Javed Jaffrey but he said something that is a sliver now. When asked what he thought about the terror attack he said something like this – (this is the gist. I am not quoting verbatim) ‘there is a history of injustice in India. People don’t get justice. The British woman complains and her case is put on fast track whereas the others…all this is because of injustice’. He also spoke about Babri, the Bombay riots, Gujarat and the Christians in Orissa.

So for all the injustice that India personifies here we present the attack on 26th of Nov 08.

I am missing something here.

India is not a perfect country. India is not yet a just country. So is most of the world. So, let us arm ourselves and take each other’s revenge. Wonderful concept. Purely evolutionary. The strong will survive…

I offer my apologies, can we sit and talk or do you want to measure the amount of historical exorcisim that will be just right to settle old scores…all of this of course in the blood of young and old, man and woman, boy and girl and oh not to forget the children of course…and then and only then if you are satiated…

A fortnight back a young man killed two of his nieces to salvage honour and pride. The girls had denigrated their family’s name by being adventurous for a day – going to Meerut without informing the family in Greater Noida. NDTV journalists who later went to the village to gauge the reaction of the women folk there were horrified – most of the women (in various shades of ghoonghat) supported the young murderer and condemned the dead girls.

Sheila Dixit, the chief minister of Delhi wondered why a young girl like Soumya, a journalist with Headlines Today, was traveling alone at night. This comment after she was murdered.

6 Indian journalists who died in the line of duty were honoured at the Stockholm Journalist’ Meorial 2008.

They were – Mohamad Muslimuddin, a correspondent for the daily Asamiya Pratidin, Ashok Sodhi, a photographer for Jammu’s English-language Daily Excelsior, Ved Prakash Chouhan, a senior journalist, Komal Yadav, a photographer of Amar Ujala, a Hindi daily, Javed Ahmed Mir of a local Kashmir paper and Soumya Vishwanathan, a TV journalist, working with Headlines Today,

But the Indian embassy gave it a miss – for the 2nd year in a row.

Jose Luis Belmar, the founder of PROFOCA, lamented to IANS, saying that ,”We are extremely saddened that India, the largest democracy in the world, as well as, boasting by far the most extensive free press globally does not see fit to participate in this momentous event in which neither politics nor any material or individual gain is involved”.

Belmar added, “In fact this is the second consecutive year that the Indian embassy in Stockholm has seen fit to outright ignore our invitation that was sent in very good time. I, indeed, cannot imagine why they would scorn our efforts to honour the seekers, and victims, of truth in this world of violence”.

These are the questions that our representatives should be asked. Forget about policy, they should be asked about dignity, honour and respect. Were they stuck in an emergency of abominable proportions to give this event a miss? Were they saving petrol? Do they hate journalists? Don’t they value life? Don’t they have people they love? Do they have children at home? Are they representing India?

Fashion is…well it’s a film that will divide opinion. All films, the good, the bad and the indifferent do that. But I am not talking about the easy toss-up of opinion that is garnished with popcorn during interval.

Fashion is not a popcorn film. Thank god for that. It is not without its flaws. In fact it has many. Let’s start with them first.

Chandigarh is supposed to be a small town. It is true, it is not Bombay, but the city’s apparent regressive small-towness can’t even be compared with Jamshedpur – where I come from. Priyanka Chopra hails from this stifling small town. Her parents and especially the godfather of hamming Raj Babbar are conservative.

Coming to family – what’s with Kiran Juneja’s cleavage? That was the moment I started to hate Fashion. Initially I thought the reverse angle would rectify this, but no – Juneja’s exposure, somehow communicates, to me at least, the director’s vision – that Miss Chopra’s ambitions – of becoming a model, which are tainted, supported by Babbar’s opposition on moral grounds, somehow, emanates from the mother.

This is just one example of what Bhandarkar does best – pins and paints characters with large brushes of generalizations. Wants to be a success, has ambitions so must be having a promiscuous grain, and if the profession entails wearing clothes that more often than not reveal more than they cover…you get the message.

Coming back – Piggy Chops sleeps her way to the top and forgets the gentle conservative, small – town values that she had landed in Bombay with. She meets and uses people close to her, basically exploits them, so that the ride is quick and at the same time strangely expects a non-exploitative relationship from her exploiters.

Success corrupts her; she becomes a Diva; loses friends, love, contracts and ends up being a nervous wreck….like she is warned by one Shonali, played by Kangana Ranaut. Meghna Mathur’s career, now a spiraling trainwreck, is punctuated by sexual acts…in increasing order of sin…first with Maanav, her ostensible love; then with Arbaaz, the owner of a fashion magazine and the last but not the least with an unnamed black person she meets at a party, fueled by drugs and booze. The last encounter shatters her and she returns home. A dream ends.

NO. The perpetually silent daughter is now given a boost by guess who – Raj Babbar – another convenient and hasty device. She returns to Bombay, mends fences with Mugda Godse’s Janet, becomes mother Mary to Kangana’s Shonali, now on the streets and shorn of all glory and sense fails but doesn’t give up. Our heroine picks up the pieces and in a neat swelling of the chorus and rolling of the drums moment, her redemption is achieved.

Inspite of the facile generalization of the industry and its people – Fashion works. It works because it doesn’t shy away from the dark and gloomy and depressing; a constant now with the director’s films (don’t count Trishakti, Satta, Corporate and Traffic Signal – all 3 fail because of bad casting, acting and his over-confidence at picking a subject fit for an expose). People are shown doing coke, shooting heroine and having sex for the sake of furthering one’s career. People are shown ambitious, manipulative, weak and succumbing to their ambition. They are ruled and are slaves to their desires of fame, fortune and not to some abstract or subservient to some finally excusable family emergency.

Other than Chitrashi Rawat and Raj Babbar, most of them do a good job. Miss Godse, Bajwa, Kittu G, Arbaaz, Harsh Chaya, Ashwin Mushran, Sameer Soni – all do a good supporting role.

And Priyanka the heroine? It is her best performance till date. The film rides on her wispy shoulders and she succeeds – from a wannabe to a Diva to a wreck to her eventual resurrection – she might never get a character like Meghna Mathur.

Which brings us to Kangana. She ends up a cliché she has popularized – of a perpetually tortured woman – addicted to her white line of coke and booze – a Diva on the loose, high on her success. People get tired of clichés. But Shonali’s 1st entry shows that Kangana can walk the model’s talk as good as any. I was impressed.

Her second entry – a hand held / steadycam shot following her full frontal – gave me something that happens rarely in the darkness of a theater – a memory. Vanity, contempt, arrogance, over – confidence, madness, beauty and charisma – the minutiae of her character coalesced in perfect harmony in that walk. When did I see that last?

We all sit on our high horses. Because of what we are, where we are coming from and where we are going. Because of our color, education and power. Yesterday Gopinath Munde, said very confidently – “Hindus can never be terrorists”. He went on to say that there is historical evidence to back this. He never heard of 30th January 1948.

This is against the backdrop of the Maharashtra ATS saying that they have evidence of a fringe Hindu group’s involvement in the Malegaon blast. Today’s TOI also has a front page report about the same. And people are aghast. Not all thankfully but politicians and parties who have manipulated the fear of the commoner to create a schism on the basis of religion, in this case Munde’s parent, the BJP, are up in arms.

Hindus are cow – milk drinking pacifists. We don’t kill, we are not affected by partisanship, we are always fair and square and best we don’t subscribe to the human emotion called – revenge.

They are scared that an admission will make them lesser mortals – bring them in line with the other – the other who is reviled and looked down upon; the other who is a terrorist spreading death and destruction.

If there are no differences that means we are all human or rather all too human. That some people are good and some people are bad. Some of us are weak and some are tempted and can be swayed to the other side by stronger individuals. All of in the end are just like the other.

One must say thank the much reviled cops who followed the leads and instead of burying the time bomb came out with the information that these guys and girls are Hindus. Some Hindus are tired of Shivraj Patil’s bandhgallas and pontification and took revenge against Islamic terrorism. One day or the other it is bound to happen. There are enough young impressionable fanatics in all religion who can be brainwashed into doing a stupid act. If Pragya Singh is one of them then she has to bear the consequences just like others criminals.

There are always bad apples Mr Munde. Accept it and punish them. Goa authorities denied that Scarlette was raped and murdered; Gopinath now says that Hindus can’t be terrorists. Muslim intellectuals say that a terrorist cannot be a muslim; the new year molestors a couple of years back were about to be pardoned because they were locals; Shiv Sena earlier and now MNS can get away with murder (in fact they have) because they are locals; after the Bhajji vs Symonds episode the perverse righteousness that Indians cannot be racists – come again you liars who advertise for fair skinned brides and grooms! Is India the capital for apologists of all kinds?

And why is terrorism only when a couple of buildings are blown or an RDX bomb explodes? Who is defining it? Or does a violent act become terror only when an X number of innocent people are dead in a battle with a state and its ideology?

Aren’t we all missing the point here?

It is simple – a crime has been committed. Evidence points in a particular direction. Prove and punish.